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J. HODGKINSON. MEGHANIUAL STOKER.

No. 322,605. Patented July 21. 1885.

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J. HODGKINSON.

MECHANICAL STOKER.

No. 322,605. Patented July 21, 1885.

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ATTORNEYS.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES HODGKINSON, OF MANCHESTER, ENGLAND.

MECHANICAL STOKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 322.605, dated July 21,1885.

Application filed March 6, 1885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES HODGKINSON, of the firm of Hodgkinson andCompany (limited,) Ordsall Machine Works, Voden street, Salford,Manchester, England, engineer, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Mechanical Stokers and in Apparatus Gonnected therewith,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention consists in arrangements and constructions of the severalparts necessary in the cycle of operation whereby more certain andefficient actions are obtained in mechanical stokers and self cleaningfo rnaces employed in steam boilers, parts of which may be adapted withadvantage to other furnaces.

The machine or mechanical stoker is composed of the ordinary hopperopening into a crusher-box, in which is placed an improved rotatinghelical crusher and adjustable flexible spring plate for the purpose ofcrushing, measuring, and delivering fuel periodically to thedistributer, from whence it is automatically distributed or scatteredover the surface of the fire.

My improvements in self-cleaning firebars, which are used in connectionor otherwise with my improved distributer-machine or mechanical stoker,consist in a certain novel method of constructing, arranging, and movingthe bars which constitute furnace-grate bars. The fire-bars resemble inform those in ordinary use in coal-burning fire-grates, and are disposedor placed in a horizontal or nearly horizontal position and parallel toeach other. The fiues in a boiler are provided longitudinally on eachside with side bars provided with distance-pieces and air-spaces as wellas pockets. In the latter are placed bars or bearers provided withrollers or guides. On the latter the longitudinal bars are placed andprovided with the usual distance pieces for the purpose of formingair-spaces between each bar. The side bars project outside the fine atthe front or firing end of the boiler or furnace, on the ends of whichare bearings for supporting suitable shafts employed for operating thebars. The part of the shafts operating them are constructed in suitableor convenient forms-such as square or other polygonal sectionon whichare mounted loosely a number of uniform cams (No model.) Patented inEngland December 23, 1884, No. 16,830.

or tappets, disposed thereon like the helix of a screw or otherwise, sothat as the cams or tappets revolve with the shafts they come in contactwith pivoted latches or levers or other equivalents attached to theouter ends of the bars, and move the latter singly one after the otherfrom back to front of the furnace; or several bars can be taken at atime, care being taken that the bars on both sides of each shall remainstationary during that time or otherwise. I prefer to move only one barin a place at a time when being drawn out, or two or three bars at atime in a fine, and so on during the half-revolution or otherwise of thecam-shaft for the purpose of leaving the fuel on the stationary bars. Ifdesired, one or more bars next each other can be moved at one and thesame time. The cams operate on the pivoted latches or other equivalentson the outer ends of the bars,by which the latter are drawn outseparately or in sets. 'After they have all been drawn out they are, forthe purpose of carrying the fire backward, all driven back together byseparate cams operating on a projection on the under side of the frontend of the said bars.

To insure the latches clearing the cams, the former are provided withconvexed or other suitable projections for the purpose of lifting themby the revolving action of the tappets or cams after the bars are drawnout, by which the bars are free when in position to be moved backwardfor the purpose of carrying the fire. For this purpose I arrange themechanical movements and arrangements in the manner I will describe,referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters ofreference indicate like parts, and in WhlOh-- Figure 1 is a partialfront and sectional elevation of my improved mechanical stoker and itsimprovements. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a furnace, showing part of theself-cleaning firebars. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation ofmy improved mechanical stoker and its improvements. Figs. 4 and 5 areside views of the end parts of the grate-bars, and side views of thecams in different positions. Fig. 6 shows a plan of the front end partsof two grate-bars. Figs. 7 and 8 show side views of the front end partsof two different cross-sections of grate-bars,and also side views ofmodified cams in different positions. Fig. 9 is a than the one it isintended for, as shown in Fig. 9.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with the helical crusher 0, or other crusher, of theadjustable flexible spring-plate J, substantially as described andshown.

2. In a mechanical stoker, the bars H, provided with the lugs W and thepivoted latchlevers F, having convex lower faces, N, in combination withthe cams K and means for operating the same, substantially as hereinshown and described.

3. In a mechanical stoker, the shaft 1?, the bars H, latch-levers F,having lip X, and means for revolving said shaft, in combination withthe slide V and the cams K, substantially as herein shown and described.7

The foregoing specification of my improvement in mechanical stokers, andin apparatus connected therewith, signed by me this 30th day of January,1885.

JAMES HODGKIN SON.

Witnesses:

S. G. DAVIDSON, E. CHADWIOK.

